Rep. Harris: “Congress Owes the American People a Long-Overdue Tax Break”

On December 19, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Conference report to accompany H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01) released the following statement lauding its passage:

“The Conference report passed by the House of Representatives today will put more money back into the pockets of Marylanders and facilitate job creation right here in Maryland and across America. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act preserves the deductions that working- and middle-class Americans rely on, while simplifying the tax code and filing process.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will support economic growth and stimulate job creation right here in America. Lowering tax rates for small and family-owned businesses and for larger employers will encourage American businesses to reinvest in their own operations, increase their employees’ pay, and make the United States more competitive in the global marketplace.

I applaud my colleagues in the House for passing this legislation, and I urge the Senate to follow suit. Congress owes the American people a long-overdue tax break, and now is the time to deliver it.”

Can someone please explain the tax cut. We have a stock market breaking records, lowest unemployment ever, lots of new jobs being created GDP numbers not seen in years and the government is going into big time debt in order to give a huge tax break to a few people along with taking health are insurance away from the most needy.

When things are going well isn’t that the time to increase taxes? pay some bills and help some people? When things are in the crapper isn’t that when it’s ok to go into debt to stimulate the economy?

How did things get turned around? What are we going to do to stimulate the economy when things slow down?

The real issue is too much spending by the Federal Government. I checked my taxes on the NBC.com website and I will owe ~ $2500 less next year. We are not in the 1%. There have been several large businesses reporting giving raises to the hourly workers and bonuses to all workers. More money in my pocket is better than in the Government coffers.

Considering a family of 4 with an income of $100,000 can only expect $1000 you are above average and you should be proud. As for spending I agree the republican congress is out of control when it comes to spending and now they are reducing the tax they collect the debt is going to skyrocket. Anyone under 30 is so screwed.

But did you check your healthcare costs because if you are on OBamacare or given the gift of healthcare by your employer the new trumpcare has those costs headed up.with the repeal of the mandate. Early projections say if your employer passes on the increase your tax savings will not cover the increase. Now go buy a lotto ticket maybe you can be in the 1% if you’re lucky.

“It’s pure fantasy to think that the tax bill will lead to significantly higher wages and growth as Republicans have promised. The largest economic challenges we face include a skills crisis that our public schools are not addressing, crumbling infrastructure that imperils our global competitiveness, wage stagnation coupled with growing wealth inequality, and rising deficits that will worsen as more baby boomers retire. The tax bill does nothing to address these challenges. In fact, it makes each of them worse.” Michael Bloomberg

Pure fantasy??? Have you seen the statements but out by ATT, Comcast, Boeing et all within minutes of the vote? They are given $1000 in Christmas bonuses to their non executive employees and investing billions of dollars in expansion which will get untold numbers off the government handout line and onto the taxpayer rolls.

Call them what you like. 200,000 non-executive employees are getting an extra $1000 in the paycheck they receive at Christmas. Back in the dark ages we called that a Christmas bonus. Focus on the label if you like but please try to understand the greater point. And try to refrain from name calling if you are able. I would much prefer a thoughtful argument salted with supporting facts if you are able to provide.

Even Gov. Hogan knows Andy’s bill is BS: “Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday that he will seek to protect Maryland taxpayers from higher state tax bills caused by the federal tax overhaul President Donald J. Trump is expected to sign soon.

The Republican governor said he will submit legislation to the General Assembly next month to do that and called for unanimous legislative support of his proposals.

“Our goal will be to leave that money in the pockets of hard-working Marylanders,” Hogan said in an opening statement at a Board of Public Works meeting. “I am confident that our partners in the General Assembly who have expressed concern over the impact of this tax reform bill will support us unanimously in protecting Marylanders who could be negatively affected. Protecting taxpayers should be a bipartisan issue.”

The reason Marylanders will not benefit as much as residents of other states has to do with the high property and state taxes we pay. You can thank the democratically controlled state legislature for that. Gov Hogan can protect us by sheperding tax cuts in Annapolis.

Rep. Harris and all who voted for this tax bill owe an apology to those who put you in office.
The tax bill violated 2 of President Trump’s campaign promises.
1. He promised to simplify the tax code. This act creates many additional optional calculations and pages of new tax law.
2. He promised to eliminate special interest benefits. This tax act is loaded with many special interest benefits.

A truer statement has not been posted here. The 1% will be getting more money while the middle class pay for it. Andy Harris once again is paying back his corporate donors with the hard earned money of his voter base. I will not get off the couch on election day to cast a vote for Harris he does not deserve the effort.

So AT&T is getting a 12.9 billion tax break and will share 200 million with their employees. What happens to the 98% that isn’t spent on employees? This doesn’t not seem like a good return on the investment.

“Perhaps the most visible plan to cut Medicare is the one endorsed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, which would eliminate the guaranteed level of coverage that Medicare currently provides — e.g., covering hospital care and 80 percent of the total cost of doctor visits — and replace it with “vouchers” with which seniors would be directed to buy their own health insurance from the private sector… it’s a clear downgrade of the “benefits people have earned throughout their working lives.” The talking point from Republicans is that Medicare is “going broke” but that’s not true.” Eric J. Schneidewind , AARP’s President

I sincerely doubt we will really see a ‘trickle down’ of corporate profit increase…
“The Yale CEO Summit surveyed 110 prominent business leaders of Fortune 500 and Fortune 50 companies last week. Just 14% of CEOs surveyed by Yale University said their companies plan to make large, immediate capital investments in the United States if the tax overhaul passes. Capital investments, like building plants and upgrading equipment, can lead to hiring. Wall Street expects companies will use a big chunk of the tax savings to reward shareholders with fatter dividends and stock buybacks, which makes stocks more attractive. That’s one reason stocks have surged all year, putting the Dow in sight of 25,000.”

Welcome back troll, it’s been awhile. Let’s recap from past NHD postings:
1. You have a 5,000 sf home on multiple acres.
2. You have at least two college degrees.
3. You wear fitted sports jackets. I suppose your entire wardrobe is tailored as well.
4. You own a Porsche. I hope that’s not your daily driver, please enlighten us with regard to the rest of your fleet to include boats, fixed wing/rotary craft.
5. Any wristwatches that us redneck inbred types might hate on you for? Please don’t own something as pedestrian as a Rolex.
6. You definitely hate guns/look down on law abiding gun owners.
7. Might be afraid of hoagies.

Sounds like you’re fairly up there in the economic world and should benefit fairly well from the tax reform plan.

My favorite excerpt from one of your posts was when you said Hillary would serve two terms followed by a transgender president. What a hoot you are.

Your fat assed generation neglected to pay your bills and you left us with a pile of busted crap you didn’t maintain. STFU , sit in the corner and have a high fructose corn syrup ensure while we fix things.

1. When you personally earn $100 dollars, who’s money is it?
2. If there are 1000 loopholes in our old tax code and the new code reduces that number to 800, is that a move in the right direction or not?
3. Name all of the developed countries whose corporate tax was equal to or greater than 35%.
4. Has our government and does it currently spend the tax dollars extracted from its citizens in a responsible manner?
and lastly, have you sent the government a check above and beyond the value of your tax bill?

Think about these points when you pipe up about your emotional objections about Andy Harris or Donald Trump.

1. Money only has value because of the government and yes all money is the property of the government
2.No the new code does not reduce loopholes and the whole thing is only temporary.
3.what does the tax rate of other countries have to do with the tax code here? No one pays 35% see number 2.
4. It depends what you consider spending tax dollars in a responsible manner means, does a country with 11 aircraft carriers need 7 more? when the next closes country has 2. How many homeless vets can you save for the same money.
5. If you send more than you owe it just creates a credit balance, did you have a point?

I see there is little use in a discussion of sorts in this forum. The points I threw onto the board were all related to the newly adopted tax law and the various criticisms expressed above in the thread. The response I got was both ridiculous and a personal attack (“you are an idiot”). Classic response from someone responding on emotion and unwilling to have a reasonable discussion – even in this anonymous sort of platform.

And then comes Adam… you and Seriously? should got get a drink together and watch Ellen – I’m sure you’d get along like a house on fire. But be sure to bring your wallet Adam because Seriously? doesn’t have his own money – it’s all the governments possession!

If you have been on this forum for a long while, you would have seen in the past that the vast majority of posts were very pro Republican and pro Conservative and often attacked those who offered opposing views. Harford and Cecil were moving hard to the right and the Obama Administration was increasingly not popular around here. The Republicans politically attacked the Obama administration, the Democrats and the liberal elite for being extremist, anti- middle class, anti- working class and out of touch with traditional American values. Although I am not a Republican (or Democrat), their political rhetoric wasn’t exactly untrue and struck a chord with many voters. However, fast forward to now, and the exact same can be said of the current Republican Party and the Trump administration, but by at least a couple if not several of orders of magnitude worse (since the Republicans control both the Presidency and Congress and we are only one year in not 4 or 8). Thus, you see on this forum a similar if not stronger disdain for the current political situation that you saw for the previous political situation. The Who may have warned us with these classic lines “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” Interesting enough that is from the song “Won’t Get Fooled Again” – will we be able the claim the same or are we just human pawns in a tragic version of the movie “Groundhog Day” where the out of touch elites make all the rules and profit from it?

I’m sorry I id not mean to have my statement “You are an idiot ” to be taken as a personal attack it was merely a statement of fact.

And nice back peddling but seriously go back and read your BS nothing of it has anything to do with the “newly adopted tax law”. But then again you are an idiot, and I men that in the nicest way, so carry on.

This tax legislation passed by the Congress is bad for Harford County and bad for other counties in Maryland. The state and local property tax deduction will now be capped at $10,000. A lot of property owners in Harford will end up paying more tax under this new tax law.

A lot of property owners are also rushing to county tax offices and trying to prepay the 2018 property tax before December 31 so that they can try to take the deduction in their next tax return. And Harford County, like some other counties says property owners can prepay the 2018 property tax before the 31st. However the IRS now says it has to be assessed in 2017 for it to be deducted. And it has not been billed yet. So it is unclear whether it can be deducted at all for this year. It is also ultimately up to the IRS to decide and not the Harford County Government tax office whether the deduction can be taken in 2018 for prepaid property taxes. And we should not have to rush around at the last minute with little time left this year to decide whether or not to prepay property taxes.

This is just a terrible piece of legislation, and nobody should have voted for it.

And… if it’s CAPPED at 10k doesn’t that mean anything OVER 10k won’t be deductable? I mean, we’re not thinking that if it’s 10.5 we can’t write off ANY of it are we? It’s just the amount OVER 10k and if your taxes are that high kudos to you but aren’t those the rich fat cats that the liberals are always wanting to stick it to? Make ‘em pay their fair share like? I wish they’d make up their minds.

Clueless about taxes boys and girls? The 10k cap includes state income tax, county “piggy back” income tax and property tax. Don’t forget the 8k and change per couple personal exemption is also gone in 2018. Instead we hear the usual republiCON BS oozing like infected puss from the propaganda filled brains.

I will save $4500 a year under the new tax law. If you work hard to earn money and live modestly, the new tax structure is a good thing. Finally my years of subsidizing the multitude of liberals in high tax states is getting some relief. As probably the only person on this forum that has actually read the conference agreement and sought to understand the changes, I have to say most of those complaining are doing so out of ignorance and political bias.

Well lol hate to tell you but I am a CPA, former kpmg tax partner, have masters degrees in both finance and taxation. I am pretty sure I know exactly what I am doing. I would suggest you read the law, pick up a pencil and consider what a higher standard deduction and lower rates do at each income level. It certainly does not take $615k of income to save $4500 a year. If that were the case, I would certainly never hire you as my tax accountant (not that I would ever hire anyone for that anyway). You clearly have no clue.

Many middle-class taxpayers will be negatively affected by the new tax law, regardless of party affiliation. The tax law treats Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated the same. It’s not correct to imply that just Democrats and liberals are affected. Republican and conservative property owners are negatively affected. Republicans in Harford are also complaining and rushing trying to prepay the property tax.

Governor Hogan himself has said he has concerns about the new tax law and the effect on Maryland and will try to propose tax relief law to counter the effect of the tax bill. Let’s not forget to mention that.

Not true. Not true at all. Wait until the middle class starts getting more money come Feb. Are you suggesting that peoples’ tax bills will go up, because that is absolutely not the case. Your false Dem talking point of apocalyptic consequences will come home to roost once the truth is out there…a humming economy and more money in our paychecks.

Read the post. You can read? The points are correct. If you itemize you probably will take a hit on the federal if you take the new standard deduction deal then you will feel major pain on the state return. No orange kool aid “alternative facts” BS will change that reality.

When Reagan was president the top marginal tax rate in the United States was cut from 70% to 28%. Income of the top 1% almost doubled while income for other income levels increased only marginally and actually decreased for some of the poorest. During the Reagan presidency, $1.86 trillion was added to the debt which almost tripled the national debt. The economy failed to grow enough as predicted by Republicans to offset the tax cuts.

Instead of pissing and moaning about your “losses” because we live in Maryland, why not do something? It costs more to live in Maryland than say Texas or Nevada. Why is that? Are people in Texas starving more than here? does it cost more to pay a cop here than in Nevada? Where do all of our Maryland tax dollars go? Are there duplications in services that might be reduced or eliminated? What is the actual job of state and local governments? Could they be done more economically? Look at the largest single item of expense; law enforcement. How many police forces does the state pay for? We have state police, then we have transportation authority police, then we have college police forces, and so forth. Each department has its own schools, communication facilities, headquarters staffs etc. ad infinitum. If we reduce/eliminate all of the sacred cattle we might actually the tax burden on the poor slobs who still work. Oh well, this is Maryland where the revolution must be fueled.

I agree whole heartedly. Will we be able to accomplish it peacefully? Or will we have to do what was not the prescribed methodology? That is the question. The Constitution shows us the path, but if those whom perverted that very document have their way, then the screen name you have chosen might be the only end game in sight. This saddens and disheartens me, but if we can make this world better for those who have yet to come, then so be it.